


Coach

by GuroKuro



Category: Free!
Genre: Free! Eternal Summer, M/M, Samezuka Makoto, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-21
Updated: 2015-02-07
Packaged: 2018-03-02 04:59:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2800463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GuroKuro/pseuds/GuroKuro
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Makoto had won the 200m freestyle race against Haru ?<br/>It seems swimming means more to Makoto than everyone originally thought , so a certain Samezuka boy makes it his duty to become Makoto's personal coach .</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

"Was Tachibana-kun always faster than Nanase-kun!?" Miho exclaimed but there was no reply .

Everyone was completely focused on watching Makoto , giving their undivided attention to witnessing him extend the gap between himself and Haru. Every powerful pace propelled himself further and further forward . Unfortunately , the other swimmers in this race had become completely irrelevant .  
At this moment , this race was solely one between two friends , Haruka Nanase and Makoto Tachibana .  
  
"What is Makoto doing ? He'll get tired out !" Rin said in an annoyed tone . "You can't just start at a ridiculous pace like that ! He won't be able to make it !" Moodily , he hit the side of the bleachers with frustration and groaned . "Damn… Makoto is embarrassing himself ! That is not good for his team ... Right ?" Rin asked as he quickly turned his head to look at Sousuke. Much to Rin's surprise , Sousuke did not respond with a long rant about how Tachibana had really fucked up . Instead , Sousuke was to intent on watching Tachibana . Eyes following Makoto , fixated on Makoto's strong shoulders as they powerfully ripped through the water . In a child like manor , Sousuke's eyes lit up in fascination . He pushed forward on the bleachers ecstatically , beginning to cheer , not caring if he was cheering for the opposing team . His loud cheers could be mistaken as ones for his Samezuka teammates as he roared out "Yeah!" Rather than speaking any specific name . He was grinning from ear to ear in excitement . Rin had never once seen Sousuke make such a shocking expression before . Anticipatedly, all the Samezuka students seemed to lean forward with him . Their own team member was far behind Haru but they still continued to cheer in the typical school chant even if none of them could take their eyes away from Haruka and Makoto .  
  
The gap between Makoto and Haru grew even larger , Rin moved his attention to Haru .

His eyes widened .

His jaw dropped .

In all of his life , Rin had never seen Haru with a face of such desperation before .  
Never had Rin seen Haru swim like this . Not once in their long rivalry had Haru been so desperate . Once again Rin was surprised , shocked in fact . Haru was the one exhausting himself , pushing himself further than his limits like an idiot .  
Unlike Makoto .  
Everything about how Haru was swimming told Rin that Haru was putting in every ounce of effort he could muster up from inside him. Makoto wasn't winning by pure coincidence . Makoto wasn't winning because Haru was letting him. Makoto was winning because of his own talent .

Samezuka become deadly silent as the race came to its last length of the pool . Just watching the race could fill anyone with overbearing amounts of adrenaline . Nagisa and Rei stood with their mouths gaped open . Torturously , every instinct within them nagged at them to jump straight in that pool and swim until it hurt . To scream until their throats burnt and to cheer until they could no more . However , they were to focused on watching Makoto approaching the finish , waiting for a miracle and for Haru to suddenly overtake him like they expected all along . Their breaths felt like they had been stolen from them and their heart beat was so abnormally fast , that it felt like they would explode .

Unfortunately , Rin , Rei and Nagisa felt almost jealous .  
Almost certainly they knew anyone watching would as well . Desperately , longing to experience the high anyone would receive swimming so fantastically . Full of passion and power , nothing but brute force and honed abilities pushing you forward .

BAM! Makoto's hand slammed against the wall with a loud smack , the impact causing a stinging pain to linger in his palm. He gasped ungracefully for a breath of air , flicking his head back whilst taking in rough deep breaths. Nervously , his shivering hand came up to rip his swimming cap and goggles from his head , throwing them onto the poolside . His soft bouncy hair becoming exposed . Gently , he ran his long fingers through the soft bangs to calm his nerves . He couldn't stop shaking , so many emotions filled his body .

Haru's fingertips touched the wall of the pool in the lane beside Makoto . Blankly , Haru just remained staring at the expanse of dull white tile . Keeping his hand stationed there . Trying to make sense out of what had just happened . He was gasping and puffing , almost at the point of hyperventilating . Customarily , a loud beep sounded when the last person finished . Following shortly after , names displayed on the large electronic screen above them . Shadowing over them intimidatingly . He had never felt frightened by its presence before .

Haru momentarily stopped breathing .  
Completely  befuddled  as he frowned at the names displayed , looking as if he couldn't make a single meaning out of them at all .  
  
  
__ _**1st** _ _**\- Tachibana Makoto -  Iwatobi swim club** _

  
_**2nd - Nanase Haruka - Iwatobi swim club** _  
  
  
Opposing teams applauded and stood respectfully , mumbling words about the boy who had won , Makoto . On the contrary, Iwatobi and Samezuka remained deadly quiet . Makoto smiled and looked around , relishing in the cheers intended for him whilst still catching his breath . Pleasantly , a huge smile spread on his lips and he turned to Haru , stretching out his hand . "Haru-chan. You really are amazing in water. " He huffed and giggled cutely . "Well done , you beat your personal record !" Makoto waited for Haru to shake his hand back but to Makoto's surprise , Haru didn't .  
He looked at Makoto , retaining a serious expression . Frowning in disbelief. As if Makoto was speaking another language , or if he wasn't even Makoto . Haruka didn't recognise his Makoto in that race . The Makoto who calmly swam lengths of the pool and his Makoto that never showed much interest in swimming outside of school or when he grew up . Only when it involved his close friends . There was no way Makoto could have become that skilled just from training at the Iwatobi swimming club for an hour , 3 hours maximum , a day . Especially when his  speciality  was backstroke .  
"Thank you for keeping to my request Haru-chan." Makoto spoke , soft smile spreading on his lips as he lifted himself out the pool , he had regained his confidence after all the cheering so his shivering ceased and he was able to hold himself strong and proud .  
"Hey...Haru. I have a request. Tomorrow , in the 200m freestyle , I want you to race me for real ." Makoto's speech replayed in Haru's head multiple times .  
Respectfully , Haru had stuck to Makotos request . Truthfully, he had put much more than his usual effort into it , just because Makoto had asked him .  
yet...

... yet , he still lost .

For the first time in his life , Haru felt a twinge of embarrassment in his chest , it made him feel queasy and unsure . Something else he could not understand.

Kindly , Makoto held out his hand to help Haru out of the pool . Instinctively , Haru went to reach out and grab it but he saw something in Makoto's face he had never seen before .  
Not even once .  
A Glimmer of determination , bordering on rivalry , in Makoto's green eyes. Far too similar to that look Rin's threatening eyes always gave Haru before races.  
Haru took a deep , shocked breath. Speedily, withdrawing his hand and pulling himself out , hoisting himself using the strength in his arms but his arms were still so weak . They felt like jelly from how he had pushed himself  much   further than  his limits in that race . He had never felt like that after a race .  Futilely  , his arms gave way and his chin collided with the pool edge.  
"Haru-chan!" Makoto cried , voice full of worry as he firmly grabbed Haru's arm , pulling him out of the pool. Haru just shook himself away from Makoto's grip . Padding back to the changing room , rubbing his stinging jaw with his hand , head looking to the floor .

Sousuke jumped up instantly , his applause filled the Samezuka area of the bleachers before the rest of the team erupted into cheers . It was enough to bring Rin back down to earth and he realised Makoto had really won , it wasn't a lie . Rin jumped , punching the air with his fist . "Go Makoto ! That was amazing !" He screamed at the top of his voice . Purposely , so the brunette could hear him . Makoto met Rin's eyes with a euphoric smile and waved thankfully at his friend before jogging off proudly into the changing rooms .

"……did that just happen ?" Nagisa blinked , looking as if his face was mesmerised on something stunning . Soon Nagisa's eyebrows raised and he started clapping , his hands like a penguin with its flippers , until they became pink and sore . " Go Mako-chan! " Miho looked to Gou and Sasabe in turn .  
"H-How? " the girls spoke in unison , stunned at how Makoto had beat the favourite to win the race , Haruka .  
Honestly , none of them expected Makoto to have even had a minuscule chance at winning that race . No one even expected him to place in the top 5 , especially when up against Haru and two Samezuka boys . No one even understood why he had entered in the first place .  
"It's got to be a coincidence right?" Nagisa spoke , still filled with awe at Makoto's win . Makoto had exceeded their expectations greatly . The amount of time Makoto had won by in the race stupefied his teammates , all unable to properly process the information . Rei shook his head , though even he had a hard time believing it . "The difference in Haruka-senpai and Makoto-senpai's times is to great for this to be a simple coincidence. " Rei propped up his glasses on his nose before suddenly tensing all the muscles in his body and looking up at the sky. "It was truly beautiful! " he exclaimed , eccentrically like always , clenching his fists as his eyes welled up with tears .  
Meanwhile , Haru was changing back to his Iwatobi uniform , his muscles ached , making him wince every time he had to move his body accordingly to put on an item of clothing . He felt extremely exhausted , so leaned against the locker. Calmly , taking a large sip of water to relax before feeling a warm hand on his shoulder .  
"Haru-chan!"  
It was Makoto . Haru frowned , this was one of the very few times in his life he did not want to see Makoto . It still confused him. Confused him that he had been beaten by someone other than Rin , especially when it was Makoto who had absolutely wiped the floor with him . "Ah... Hello Makoto ..." He said simply, returning his attention to the water bottle and slowly zipping up his jacket . He gritted his teeth and tried to discreetly let out a painful whine , gosh , he never thought he would be feeling this pain in his body after swimming .  
He didn't feel free at all .  
He hated it .  
Despised it .  
"Did you enjoy that Haru ?" Makoto asked , beaming with nothing but joy . Haru shrugged . "It was swimming . I guess so ." As much as he hated all the confusing emotions that were inside of him right now , including the horrendous pain , Haru couldn't deny he did enjoy it . It was the aftermath of it that annoyed him . Swimming beside his best friend was something that filled him with happiness but Haru didn't like the outcome . Selfishly, He didn't like that Makoto had won .  
Makoto smiled . "I loved it . I've never felt so full of adrenaline in all of my life . " He giggled before zipping up his own jacket .  
"Shall we go return to the others ? "

Haru nodded .

 

Later that day , the team , accompanied by Miho Amakata and Goro Sasabe , sat by the side of Goro's pool . Greedily , Nagisa drowned his noodles in strawberry protein powder before piling a plentiful amount to his chopsticks , stuffing it into his mouth. Gou smiled as she looked at the sheet of paper  , pride burning in her eyes because of her precious swimming boys achievements . They dug into the well deserved meal full of carbohydrates.  
"Everyone qualified ! It's truly amazing !" She and the adults at the table giggled to themselves . "Rei , Haru and Makoto beat their personal records … especially Makoto ... in a stroke we didn't even know you liked to compete in …" she mumbled , looking up from her sheet at the brunette who was smiling sweetly back at her . Makoto was still full of pride from his first place streak in both the backstroke and 200m freestyle. Nagisa slurped his noodles before looking at Haru . Haru's head hung lower than usual and he slumped over the table. Miserably , he pushed and mushed his food about the plate with his chopsticks . Smashing his onigiri until no grain of rice was attached to another . "Haru-chan , are you ok?" Nagisa asked .  
Haru nodded "Nagisa . I'm fine . Stop asking ." He rubbed his hand idly on the purple bruise covering his chin .  
"Is that from when you hit your chin on the poolside Haru-chan ? It looks painful …" Makoto said caringly , smiling sympathetically but Haru did not answer he just frowned whilst looking at Makoto . With that , every one returned their attention to Makoto .  
"Mako-chan , Mako-chan!" Nagisa exclaimed , waving his hand in Makoto's face impatiently.  
"What is it Nagisa ?" He asked , tilting his head .  
"Mako-chan! Today was amazing ! You did so well! I couldn't believe it ! "  
"Why thank yo-" before Makoto could finish , Nagisa interrupted .  
"Honestly , Me , Rei , Gou and even Miss Amakata thought it was pointless for you to enter it ! Like , Gou even said you would be embarrassing yourself against Haru !" Rei and Gou both waved their hands around wildly , trying to stop Nagisa from telling him that but it didn't stop him from carrying on . "Me and Gou where gonna bet against Sasabe that you would of been like last Mako-chan! None of us thought you could do something that great Mako-chan! You beat Haru by a huge amount ! It's unbelievable !"  
Haru frowned defensively . "… I let him win . "  
Everyone looked at Haru , who was still aching and every so often wincing from muscle pains because of how much he had pushed himself. There was no way Haru let him win when he was hurting so much afterwards . Haru remained hunched over , to tired to sit up properly . An annoyed frown rested on his face . Everyone looked at Haru , frowning in disapproval . Nagisa laughed lightly , attempting to lighten the mood . Nagisa did not want to disagree and upset Haru even if by now he did not believe it . He had come to terms with Makoto's outstanding win . It remained silent until Rei changed the subject . "Makoto-senpai , I would like to ask you a question if that is ok." Makoto nodded . "Can I ask how you managed to win that race?" Rei asked , turning his head to Makoto and adjusting his glasses . "I only ever see you swim freestyle for one length of the pool as a warm up and … not to be rude , you never are very fast when doing so ." Goro Sasabe coughed to get the attention moved to him . Proudly , he pounded at his own chest with his fist . The motion causing his floppy blonde fringe to bounce up and down, "It'll be thanks to me !" He exclaimed , his happy laughter filling the large room .  
"What do you mean ?" Everyone grumbled in unison , including Haru . Sweetly , Makoto giggled , nodding .  
"Coach Sasabe is right . For a while now … he has been wonderful enough to keep the pool open late just for me . In exchange for me helping out for a while after school . I've practised alot of styles . Including butterfly ... but before long I focused on only back stroke and freestyle . I come here every evening , even on weekends . I've worked really hard . Thank you very Coach Sasabe , I appreciate it greatly . None of this would have been achievable without you !" He gave the man a warm smile before bowing his head respectfully. "Thank you , thank you , thank you ! I cannot thank you enough ."  
" Mako-chan! Don't keep secrets !" Nagisa and Gou sang together . "Especially one so big ! Like … all evening for months ? That's massive news !" Nagisa continued but then began to ponder , stroking his chin . "But Mako… at the pool you only swim … like really calmly . No were near the speed you did in the 200 metre freestyle. We all became worried you where losing your touch or something at practise" Shamefully , everyone excluding Sasabe nodded .  
Haru frowned not enjoying this .  
"If I am honest with you … I use our swimming time at the pool as more of a … " he blushed , feeling like he would sound cocky or rude by saying it . "I used our pool time as more of a c-c-calm swim . So I didn't push myself before going all out at this pool in the evening . I really work extremely hard here … "

Haru looked hurt and the rest of the team looked completely baffled .  
"The kid wanted it to be a surprise to you all! " Sasabe admitted because he knew Makoto wouldn't be able to and continued beaming with pride that he had contributed .  
"Aw Mako-chan! That is so sweet! But you did almost give us all a heart attack !" Nagisa smiled and jumped over the table over excitedly . Knocking into Rei and landing right into Makoto's lap to hug him .  
"No more secrets ok Mako-chan?" Nagisa winked and Makoto nodded . "Of course ! I will try my very hardest in our school practises ! I won't lie anymore !"

"Promise?"

"Promise ." Makoto nodded , that flicker of determination In his eyes and he glanced at Haru .

Haru didn't like that at all .

* * *

 


	2. Chapter 2

A week had passed since the day all of the Iwatobi boys had qualified for their events . The Summer was starting to turn into Autumn , but the Summer warmth still lingered uncomfortably in the air. It was stuffy and sticky . The sort of awkward , unbearable heat that made you exhausted and sweaty . Unfortunately for the Iwatobi team , this meant their school pool was pretty much off limits due to the fear of getting heat related illness which would hinder their performance in their practise sessions . Especially, when they needed to improve as their rivalry with Samezuka was stronger than it ever had been before . Unluckily , the previous time they had worked outdoors in this heat , Nagisa was bed ridden for two weeks and Haru kept being sick . Obviously , they didn't want a repeat of those incidents  … However , they had the opportunity to join Makoto in his nightly swimming practises at Goro's pool . Nagisa and Rei excitedly accepted , they where eagerly anticipating getting to swim with the new and improved Makoto . Makoto had become a better captain , constantly encouraging everyone of them to work harder . His kind words and determined smile was enough to make them want to train longer and more effectively . Only once had Nagisa enjoyed swimming this much and that was when they where kids . All day long Nagisa talked about practise , all night he text Rei and Makoto about swimming the next day . On the other hand , Haru constantly put it off . Everyday of the week he invented a new excuse . Haru really didn't want to swim beside Makoto knowing the high standards he had to live up to now . Inside , Haru knew he should go and swim because Makoto would only be getting better... but he felt to pressured . Swimming freely was no longer an option . The standards had been raised to a new level. A standard he never imagined. Haru certainly did not imagine that gentle giant Makoto would be the one to raise it .  
Fortunately for Samezuka they had a huge indoor pool , resembling the professional grandeur of ones seen at Olympic events . Just scaled down considerably.    
Rin stretched his arm over his head , he knew Nitori would be nearby copying him and other 3rd year students he admired , so he did not need to worry.  So instead , Rin looked to Sousuke who was doing the typical repetitive rolling of his shoulders . He did it multiple times everyday , even before bed . Attentively , Sousuke always put alot more time and effort into that exercise . On several occasions Rin had seen Sousuke doing it in the middle of class . It had only been several weeks since Sousuke had transferred , normally , when Sousuke caught Rin observing him doing his shoulder exercise , Sousuke would always tease him over it or dare Rin to a harsh swimming challenge. However, this time Sousuke was staring into thin air . Just rolling his shoulder over and over . Rin hummed in confusion a judgemental look on his face. This past week Sousuke had been really distant. His eyes kept drifting off into the distance and his expression seemed like he was lost.  
"Yo , Sousuke ." Rin called over to him in his usual tone .  
"Hm? What is it ?" Sousuke replied as serious as ever , still exercising his shoulders .  
"Everything ok with you ?" Rin asked , to which Sousuke nodded simply , doing one last rotation of his shoulder before dropping his arms to his sides loosely .   
"But you aren't ." He replied sarcastically as he then slung himself over to touch his toes , fingers pointed and his legs remaining perfectly straight .   
"Wait .. what's that supposed to mean ?" Frustratedly,   Rin growled as he gritted his shark like teeth.  
Sousuke looked to Rin , a small frown on his face also , this time instead of joking he was serious . Very serious . To the point of almost scowling . "You may be getting offers from scouts . " he started seriously and then blinked , changing his emotions quickly with a cheshire grin. Making Rin shudder uncomfortably ."But you really need to pick up your game a bit . " he snickered and stepped towards the pool .   
"What!? Arrrgggh. " Rin groaned , looking deeply offended . "What ? You never explain yourself . Damn Sousuke ."  
Sousuke once again snickered , which tormented Rin to the point of glaring at Sousuke with fire burning in his Red eyes. Sousuke bent over on the platform at the side of the pool , preparing himself to dive in . "That Iwatobi kids time was better than yours . I think your losing your touch ." He said playfully before jumping in the pool , pushing himself off the block with his powerful legs before Rin could respond . 

Rin groaned "Sousuke ..." he sighed . Just because Haru had beaten him at the 100 metre freestyle didn't mean he had lost any of his 'touch ' , the two of them where constantly beating each other by the smallest amount . 0.02 seconds is nothing . 0.02 seconds literally equated to when their finger tips touched the poolside . "Dammit Sousuke !" He growled , the anger only fuelling his need to swim and overtake Haru more than he was already fuelled by it every living day . Speedily , he pulled back the strap of his goggles far behind his head , a little to eagerly that when he pinged it back this time it made a large 'smack! " noise as it collided with his head , sending a shiver of pain down his head and neck . "Idiot Sousuke !" He screamed suddenly without warning before he jumped in , making Nitori and Momo almost pass out with fright . Sousuke always managed to rile him up . Little did Rin know it was exactly what he needed to practise to the best of his ever growing ability ...

 

 

 

 

As Rin was swimming fast in his lane of the pool he and Sousuke's eyes met for not even a split second . When his head moved to the side for a breath of air and as Sousuke raised high out of the water , Rin suddenly felt his chest go heavy when his threatening red eyes met with Sousuke's alluring teal ones . He slowed down considerably but finished the stretch of pool , hoisting himself out and sitting at the opposite side he had started from . Normally , he would go several laps more laps before even taking a small breathing break and going back to swimming . But something had unnerved him . Sousuke's expression had been different . 

Now Sousuke was never  one to be open about his feelings . 

But Sousuke never  normally looked like that .

Sousuke seemed like he was hurting . Just like Rin , at the end of his stretch of pool , Sousuke went to hoist himself out the water . Rin could pull himself out the water with ease . no effort needed and he would be on his feet. In fact it was like second nature , it was such a simple task for a swimmer . Especially for one like Sousuke  , who was ranked in the top 10 of butterfly swimmers in the country , that he didn't even need to think that Sousuke could do it . He just could .  Sousuke being thicker and stronger , Rin knew he to would be able to pull himself out . Sousuke put his hand on the pool side and took several deep breaths as if preparing himself for something big , bouncing on his heels like a gymnast about to hoist them self onto the balance beam.  He started to press down on his hands. Rin couldn't see his expression but the more Sousuke pushed on his hands , the more his teeth gritted and his eyelids shut tight . Painfully , his eyebrows furrowed in an ugly manor on his face before he just pulled himself out with one arm , struggling onto the poolside . Instead of getting out onto two feet easily . He was at the side of the pool on all fours , struggling to stand on his feet like someone who was incredibly unfit getting out of the pool . He had to push his weight down on his knee to fully stand . 

Even when he was on two feet he slouched over , shoulders hung low before he picked himself up . Starting his repetitive exercise of swirling his shoulder. Rin frowned and started to walk around the pool .  
"Sousuke ……?" He asked Questioningly . Not concerned , just confused .   
"You really have lost your edge Rin . Only one stretch of the pool . meh . Mere kids play! " that typical smirk spread on his lips.   
"Hey you only - !" Rin began to shout , his voice echoed from the tall building and everyone glared at him , he gulped and stopped  ."You only did two !" He whispered moodily , pouting his lips. "your such a tease Sousuke ....Anyway .… 0.02 seconds is nothing … next time I'll definitely make up for that!"   
Sousuke frowned and stopped turning his shoulder . "No. I didn't mean that race between you and that Nanase boy ." He sounded almost disgusted when saying that name . "I meant that other kid. You didn't compete in the 200 metre freestyle, but if you had he would of kicked your butt as well as Nanase's. " he chuckled in a deep , eerie tone , like something out of a horror movie as he was imagining himself kicking Nanase in the backside .  " tachiiiiiii...tach.…iiiii.… ma..…?" Pondering , Sousuke rubbed his chin , lost in thought , trying to remember the boys name .  
"Oh you mean Makoto ? Makoto Tachibana ? Yeah … he completely surprised us all ... Nagisa won't shut up about it and Haru is all quiet."   
"You've never mentioned him before . "   
"What? of course I have ! Makoto is one of my best friends !" Rin exclaimed , feeling hurt by Sousuke's sudden comment .  
Sousuke shook his head . "Nope . Never once mentioned him."  
Rin frowned . "Yeah! Yeah I have  ! " he growled back defensively , his lips pouting . Once again Sousuke shook his head .  
"You've talked about Rei Ryugazaki , the pompous guy with the glasses that is really devoted to impressing his friends . You also talked about Hazuki Nagisa the one full of energy . And you mentioned that ..  Goro guy ? that guy taught you as kid and now coaches the Iwatobi guys . " he paused and then continued . "And you don't ever shut up about Nanase.  But you've never mentioned Tachibana before . "   
Rin panicked. " Well... Makoto is Makoto ... I'm sure I've mentioned him before …I've known him almost as as long as I've known you ." He shrugged . He was certain he had mentioned him before .  
"I don't know why you would never mention someone who swam so well . It was marvellous . You should stop focusing on Nanase and focus on him instead . He is a good role model . " Sousuke spoke.  
Rin tensed his face , so much so it was almost comical . His eyebrows furrowed so much that they where almost perfectly vertical on his wrinkled up forehead .  his mouth and chin wrinkled up and his nostrils flared so wide the hair in his nose was visible.   
"You look like a troll." Sousuke said simply as he poked Rin's forehead nastily making Rin groan and flare his nostrils wider . "Uuuuugggggghhh!" he groaned , unable to voice is feelings in any other way.  
"But seriously ." Sousuke paused . "Why did you never mention him before ? I'm surprised ."  
Rin shrugged . "Seriously …Makoto is such a big part of my life I'm sure I have …I " he stuttered as he began looking guilty . "I-I guess...I guess he is the plain one of the group . Makoto is just normal . Sickeningly sweet . But other than that …normal . " He shrugged yet again , still so confused as to why he had never mentioned Makoto before . "Makoto just follows behind Haru … I guess . No one ever really bats an eyelid at him . He is simple. What you see is what you get . " once again , he shrugged and scratched his head , it felt weird talking about Makoto like this .  
"That swimming was far from normal . That Tachibana boy needs to be training professionally . " Sousuke went to continue ranting about Makoto but Rin interrupted.   
"That's precisely it though! It was far from normal … normally Makoto is normal ! Normal as normal can be ! "  
"Your making no sense ."  
"Shut up Sousuke ." Rin hissed . "Makoto never swims like that . He never has and no one suspected that he ever would . Honestly Sousuke , I'm as surprised as you ! Makoto's practise times where always good but never amazing . " Rin thought for a moment  " Nagisa said it was something like … Makoto did secret training in the evenings after school and stuff and in class practise just preformed normally . Nagisa said He wanted to surprise us all with his ability to swim . I really wonder why .…"  
"And where you surprised ?" Sousuke said , he was smiling slightly at the corner of his mouth as he looked into the distance. He was being reminiscent , it had evoked memories that reminded him of a younger version of himself . Wanting nothing more than to surprise Rin with his fantastic swimming and how he was set to do it , and surpass everyone in the country . He would of been the best . Until , his god damn shoulder decided to play up . His expression turned painful , he squinted his eyes , scrunched up his lips and looked at the floor .   
Rin nodded multiple times . "Very … but I was more surprised that he beat Haru . Like he actually BEAT Haru by quite a large amount to … and Haru's face when he knew he -"  
"Do you ever not talk about him ?" Sousuke tutted , genuinely annoyed and his painful expression turned sour , glaring at Rin until Rin had to look away because it was bothering to much . " Nanase isn't as amazing a swimmer as you originally thought . That Tachibana guy completely smashed Nanase to pieces . And sure if you had been there , he would of smashed your time to . He should be at an academy like this … not some normal school with a crappy pool ." Sousuke grunted . "It's sad to see talent go to waste ." When he said that , Sousuke's eyes dropped back to the floor and his hand came up to swirl his shoulder .  
"The Iwatobi pool isn't to bad… I go there for practise all the time. " Rin was trying to lighten the mood of the conversation , about to continue talking before Sousuke jumped in .

 

"Next time you go , I want to come to . "


	3. Chapter 3

"Dammit Sousuke ..." Rin snarled , giving his friend a funny look . This was becoming a recurring set of events .  
"Just hurry up would you ." Sousuke sighed  .  
"Honestly Sousuke ... people would think you where excited or something . Its ruining your serious look ..." Rin also sighed as he slowly wiggled his heel into his shoe .   
"Taking your time are you ? Just like with your swimming?" Sousuke joked , purposely attempting to rile Rin up . "Your gonna get beat by Tachi-"  
"Tachibana." Rin continued mockingly , sticking out his tongue in annoyance. Sousuke continued to chuckle but Rin just rolled his eyes . "All you've done is talk about him all week! Tachibana this , Tachibana gonna beat you that . You've never even been introduced to him ." Rin moaned and stood up , slinging his bag over his shoulder .   
"Well that's about to change if you would hurry the hell up." Determinedly , Sousuke grabbed a hold of Rin's sleeve and began dragging him out their room .  
"Dammit Sousuke!" 

After a fairly long train ride , where Sousuke wouldn't stop impatiently tapping his foot, followed by a brisk walk , where Sousuke forcefully pulled Rin along , they arrived at Goro's swimming club . Judgementally , Sousuke immediately let out a tut and shook his head . "Disappointing ."  
"Huh? You've been here before , so what's that mean?" Rin sighed and looked at Sousuke , he hated to admit it  , but lately Sousuke had been rather annoying . "Oh wait let me guess ... Something about Makoto?"  
"Of course . Swimmers with such talents shouldn't have to swim at pools like this." He stated before smiling . "C'mon already , they are probably waiting for us ."  
"For me ... They don't even know you are coming." Rin glared not meanly , it was just the way he and Sousuke acted around each other . Which only got a playful response of 'shut up' from Sousuke. According to Rin's watch , they where earlier than the arranged time but Sousuke wasn't in the mood for waiting . It was almost evening which meant the Iwatobi pool should be closing as the afternoon swimming lessons where coming to an end . Cheerful children left hand in hand with their parents or family members , all happily talking and giggling . Soon , Rin and Sousuke smiled . it bought back memories of how they began swimming but soon Rim groaned as he heard the children who passed them talking about how much they loved 'Teacher Tachibana'.  
"I hear that name enough from Sousuke ." He soon laughed and nudged Sousuke's side .  Luckily , the evenings at the pool where reserved for the Iwatobi high school's Swimming club , that way they wouldn't be disturbed by the children and Makoto would be free from his job to practise . Rin pushed the door open and Sousuke followed close behind .  
"Ah! Rin-chan! Oh! And Sou-chan to! Lucky us !" Nagisa exclaimed loudly and came bounding over ,full of energy with the typical happy expression painted on his young face . He grinned and stood closer , flinging his head back to look up at Sousuke , who stood much taller . Sousuke completely dwarfed Nagisa and made the short boy seem even shorter than usual , it was giving Nagisa neck ache having to strain himself so much to look at him .  "Sou-chan ! it's nice to see yo-ah ? " Nagisa was rudely interrupted as Sousuke continued walking down the corridor in the direction of the changing rooms , he had been paying no attention whatsoever to Nagisa .   
Rin sighed . "Please , Excuse him Nagisa . He has been acting weirdly lately … and…Sou-chan? " Rin laughed slightly , it was nice to see Nagisa so open with people he hasn't even spoken to . Just like how he had named Nitori 'ai-chan' after only racing him once .   
"Ah! Could it be Sou-chan is preoccupied with training for regionals? Training can really take it out of you ! " Nagisa laughed and placed a finger on his lips in thought .  
"Hm… I guess you could say that ." Rin replied as he watched Sousuke look around , obviously looking for Makoto . Rin shrugged . "… Or maybe not . He will snap out of it soon . " A minute later  , Sousuke returned to Rin's side , grumbling in an annoyed fashion with his lips pouted . Continuing looking from side to side  . Nagisa leaned closer to Sousuke . "Sou-chan!  Don't let practise distract you to much ! You will do great ! But not as great as the Iwatobi ! You may have beaten us at the prelims , but you wont at Nationals! " Nagisa bellowed determinately to Sousuke , puffing out his chest and patting it in a proud manor .

 

 

 

"Nagisa ! Please keep your voice down !" A soft voice called out , panting slightly .   
"Huh? there he is ..." Sousuke whispered and looked forward . Knowingly , Rin looked instantly to Sousuke . "Goddammit Sousuke ." He hissed under his breath .  
Makoto came jogging over , carrying a pile of kick boards and dressed in the wet-suit like uniform he wore when helping out at the pool . His hair was somewhat soggy and a small puddle of water began to gather at his feet when he remained stationery . He had a worried expression , not wanting Nagisa to disturb anyone or get himself into trouble for being loud . Makoto was definitely the mother of the group .  When he saw everything was ok , Makoto sighed a sigh of relief and smiled genuinely . Soon , his green eyes lit up the moment he caught a glimpse of Rin . "Rin !" He exclaimed and jogged closer . " I'm so glad you could make it ! In fact you are early ! You must be so eager to practise! " He raised his hand to his lips as he let out a small , pleasant giggle .  
In disbelief , Sousuke frowned and tilted his head . "So, this kid is the one who swam so well ?" He thought to himself , not expecting someone so talented to be so warm and happy to a rival team member .  Rin had certainly been correct , Makoto Tachibana was sickeningly sweet .  
Makoto soon looked to Sousuke . Much to Sousuke's surprise he remained sweet but this time gasped , in a surprised way and his cheeks flushed with a pinkish tint  . "Rin ! You bought Yamazaki-kun to ? What a lovely surprise . I look forward to swimming with you Yamazaki-kun." He bowed his head respectfully before looking back up to Sousuke and flashing him an endearing smile.  
Soon after , Makoto patted his cheeks lightly , not enjoying the warmth that had settled there when he looked into Sousuke's eye's . He knew he would be blushing .  
Truthfully , Makoto found Sousuke a very amazing individual . The first time Makoto had seen Sousuke was only a small while ago , at the Splash fest set up by Goro . At first glance , Makoto had found it extremely hard to believe Sousuke was a swimmer . Of course Sousuke had the body of someone dedicated to their sport but that paired with his handsome features , he completely took Makoto's breath away . He thought he should be a model . Even if the same could be said for many of his friends . Makoto did spend a large amount of time surrounded by gorgeous people ... Rin and Rei where both very pretty boys , Nagisa and Nitori where utterly adorable , the Mikoshiba brothers where both very striking with their bright hair and eyes and Haru was nothing but beautiful . Even Goro had a slight charm to him . 

But Sousuke was different .

He stood so much taller than many of Makoto's friends , even Makoto was shorter than him . Makoto's eye's travelled over his broad shoulders and down his chest . His shirt was tight against his muscular chest and Makoto noticed how the material of his trousers clung to his thick thighs . He was like something out of a women's magazine , only younger but just as pleasing to the eye . Not only was Sousuke's body amazing , to Makoto , Sousuke's face was perfect . He looked so handsome and masculine it was such a contrast to his own gentle features . Everything from the way Sousuke's bottom lip was always somewhat pouted and the way his nose curved perfectly , to the way his thick , well groomed eyebrows always made him look deep in thought . Makoto gulped, thinking about the other swimmer . Although the main charm point to Sousuke where those alluring teal eyes . Makoto was certain any agency in the world would take Sousuke on as a model in an instant . On top of it all , as if Sousuke wasn't great enough to look at , he even dressed trendily and was always clean . With looks ignored , Sousuke was a very mentally strong teen . He constantly emanated a strong , almost intimidating aura and had no paitence for anyone who didn't put their full effort into swimming . Lastly , To think someone Makoto's age could be one of the top swimmers in the country always astounded him . 

Haru always said to accept the water and be one with it . "Accept its presence ." Recalled in Haru's voice in Makoto's mind .

But Sousuke once again was different , he always appears to be fighting it . His strong arms cut through the water . Makoto had always thought the butterfly stroke was ugly . All the rough gasping for breath and the smashing back down against the water seemed just so awful . However , the two times Makoto has seen  Sousuke's sheer power along with that determined gleam in his eye , the butterfly stroke became inspiring .   
Makoto admired his seriousness  . It only emphasised how easy it was to see Sousuke was completely dedicated to swimming . Dedication really was a beautiful thing indeed.  
"Tachibana , it's nice to see you ." Sousuke stepped forward , shortening the distance between them . "The way you swam was incredible , I cant wait to see some of it in action today !" He petted Makoto's shoulder but didn't want to seem to eager , so began walking in the direction of the changing room once again . "Lets get changed we wouldn't want to waste time now would we ?" He looked back and flashed a smile before returning to typical Sousuke seriousness to get changed .   
Rin shuddered uncomfortably . "Who are you and what have you done with Sousuke ?" He sighed once more but it made Nagisa giggle . 

 

When the four of them where dressed in their chosen swimsuits , they padded to the side of the pool . Immediately , Sousuke started rotating his shoulder repetitively. Rin watched like he always did but soon frowned .   
Something was off . However for once this week , it wasn't Sousuke's fault .  
There was no splashing of someone already in the pool . No black hair popping up out of the water to give them a simple greeting . There where no gasps of awe or amazement .  
There was no Haru .   
Rin frowned and looked to Makoto , Haru was always by Makoto's side and when not Makoto always knew wherever Haru was and whatever Haru was doing . "Yo Makoto , where's Haru ?" He asked as Makoto stood up straight after a stretch .   
"Ah… Haru isn't feeling well . He hasn't Been for a while so hasn't wanted to swim the past week or so ... " Makoto began , his voice sounded almost sad but then Nagisa jumped in frount of him.  
"Don't worry about Haru-chan , Rin-chan! Rei-chan is over there right now to get Haru-chan here ! " Nagisa grinned and flailed his arms in the air but then looked sympathetically to Makoto who looked at the water sadly . Sousuke couldn't help but tut... more Haru affecting people …  
"Ah well , like Yamazaki-kun said , let's not waste any time ! Let's get to swimming !" Makoto's sad look went away immediatly and he was back to smiling , gripping a clipboard tightly in his hands with anticipation . He laid it down on a plastic chair that sat at the side of the pool . He trodded carefully back to the edge of the pool , somewhat nervous because both Rin and sousuke where staring at him"Shall we all have a warm up?" Makoto asked , a slight waver in his voice .  
"Yeah ! Yeah ! yeah !" Nagisa giggeled , jumping side to side from foot to foot . It was clear to see how excited he was to swim .  
"Although … should we wait for Rei-chan and haru-chan , Mako-chan? " he asked. "To many chans in one sentance …" Rin and sousuke whispered to themselves .

Makoto shook his head . "Rei would want us to be practising , he would get annoyed if we wasted any time . So let's swim several laps of the pool as a warm up and then get to improving our times . Ok?" Makoto spoke and Nagisa grinned and nodded . No one could say no to such a sweet voice .   
Nagisa dived in , causing a splash when doing so and then continued to swim calmly down the lane of the pool . Makoto watched with a smile , it was nice to have people so eager to swim but soon Rin took his attention .  
"Makoto … I haven't spoken to you since the Preliminaries . " Rin said looking to the floor and then looked up , lightly punching Makoto on the shoulder . "Dude ! Why didn't you tell anyone you could swim like that ? " he giggeled slightly and Makoto smiled back.   
He thought of what to say but Sousuke took a step closer . "….swimming must mean alot to you huh ? To work so hard without anyone knowing , you must be very dedicated ." Sousuke said in a neutral tone . Makoto smiled wider , glad someone had finally noticed . He rubbed the back of his head with his hand and chuckled . "…well... you could say that … aha… well .. aha …yes ! It does mean alot to me . "

Sousuke then looked to Rin , that smug grin on his face that made Rin sigh , he knew what Sousuke was going to say . Sousuke slung his arm around Rin's shoulder and rocked him back and forth playfully. A Cheshire grin covering his face . "Tachibana , you could even beat Rin's personal best . You are pretty Impressive . You should swap places with Rin and come to Samezuka . He can stay and look after iwatobi ." Sousuke joked , even if he would love Makoto at Samezuka . Infact , Makoto definatly should be at Samezuka . Talents shouldnt be wasted . Makoto blushed a deep red , not to sure what to say . Luckily for him Nagisa got out the pool . "I'm done I'm done !" He called and waved for their attention . 

Makoto went over to talk to Nagisa . The moment Makoto was gone from hearing distance , Rin snarled ."Dammit Sousuke ." Which made Sousuke chuckle once more . 

"He did beat your personal best though Rin ." 

"I know I know . You keep telling me that enough …"

"Because it's true . "

"Yeah …"

"So say something then Rin ."

"… I dunno . " he pouted . Honestly , Rin was still so shocked . He thought Haru was the one he had to look for but Makoto was now at the top . 

"I'm sure he could beat you in freestyle though Sousuke !" Rin giggeled , trying to move the conversation from himself . He didn't like this and he didn't know what to do about it . 

"Of course he could . My specialty is butterfly . For freestyle I am more on Nanase's level . Just like you . " he responded seriously before rolling his shoulder several times.

"Hey! Tachibana ! What do you say to a race ? You and Rin ?" 

"What Sousuke !? Dammit !" Rin growled about to protest but Makoto let out a small nervous squeak as he opened his mouth to talk . The tips of his ears went bright pink. 

"… I would like that ." Makoto said sweetly , much to Rin's surprise . Makoto twiddle his thumbs and looked to the floor , the prolonged silence made him even more nervous . "Only if you want to of course Rin!" Honestly , Rin didn't want to , it could end two ways , him beating Makoto or Makoto beating him . And he didn't want Makoto winning , as happy as he was Makoto was doing so well , it still didn't feel right . But Makoto seemed to really want it , he can't say no to one of his best friends . Especially when he couldn't think of a single thing he had ever done for him . 

"O-okay then Makoto ." 

"Rin chan is going to race Mako chan !? I've never seen this before !" Nagisa sang and ran over to the side of the pool where Sousuke was to watch. 

Just as they stood there , Rei and Haru walled through the door . "Rei chan ! Haru chan ! Good timing ! Rin-chan  and Mako chan are going to race ! " 

Rei looked amazed but Haru looked confused. Despite his neutral expression , that often could be confused with sadness , his eyebrows furrowed and his mouth parted slightly . It was clear he wasn't comfortable with it . "Haru-chan!  I'm so glad you could make It today !" Makoto said cheerfully , about to walk over to Haru to speak with him until Sousuke took a deep breath . "On your marks !" He shouted , it echoed through the room and sent a shudder  down Makoto's spine , making him panic and run to his lane . He and Rin stood on the side of the pool . As was the tradition , Rin pinged his goggles , the snapping sound also echoed through the building . The both of them bent over , preparing to dive . Sousuke's smile spread wider . "Get set …" he said in a low , gruff voice , teeth showing in a grin . He was enjoying this to much . 

"Swim! " he threw his arm up In the air as a signal and the boys dived in . 

Nagisa and Sousuke leaned forward , the excitement was to much . Under his breath , Nagisa was mumbling their Iwatobi chants "swim swim swim swim Makoto , swim swim swim swim Rin" 

Rei propped up his glasses on his nose before crossing his arms , nodding in approval . But Haru's head dropped and he looked to the floor , a sigh left his lips as he watched Makoto . 

 

He knew it .

 

Makoto was ahead of Rin . Haru gritted his teeth and leaned forward also , not with anticipation or excitement Like Nagisa and Sousuke . But with dred.

For several moments , Rin picked up his pace and was equal with Makoto . Haru had never felt so relieved in his life but much to  his disappointment it was short lived . Makoto soon was ahead again , not by to much but Makoto was clearly ahead . 

Haru sighed and walked out the room , everyone was to preoccupied watching the race to notice . 

"Aaaand Tachibana wins !" Sousuke announced as Makoto lifted himself out of the water . Soon followed by Rin . Rin panted and removed his swimming cap , ignoring any conversation with him until Makoto put his hand out . "Thank you Rin ! That was so much fun !" He giggeled , it was Infectious and soon made Rin smile back . Unfortunatly , just like how it was for Haru , Rin wasn't comfortable with it and soon walked out , going to find Haru on the bench of the changing room .

 

The evening continued without Rin or Haru. Sousuke stood by the side of pool and observed Makoto , giving him advice and in general helping out . Although he wore his leg skins , he didn't enter the pool . He rolled his shoulder several times and considered it but sat down at the edge of Makoto's lane with his feet in the water . 

* * *

 

Makoto was about to walk through the doors to go home . Just as he pushed the door open he heard the 'ca-clunk' of the vending machine and approaching footsteps . "Yo . Tachibana." The deep , Instantly recognisable , voice of Sousuke called him . "Ah... what is it Yamazaki-kun?" he asked with a smile , today had been wonderful , he really hoped to swim with Sousuke again in the future . Suddenly , Sousuke threw him a can of drink . "Catch" He warned , chuckling slightly . It took Makoto by surprise but he managed to cach it before it collided with his torso . "H-huh?" He stuttered out of confusion ."Hm? Don't seem so confused , its a treat." He walked closer to Makoto and petted his shoulder with his strong hand . He continued to rest his warm palm on Makoto's shoulder and guided him to the bench , where he sat beside him . Makoto felt fairly nervous by the sudden events , he sat somewhat hunched over and looking to his own knees. His legs where closed as he shivered but he didnt want to seem ungrateful so fumbeled with the ring pull of the can until it opened .   
"Want my phone number? I want to keep in contact . we can catch up for some swimming practise whenever you are free. You have alot of potential , and you know what you are doing with it . I have time for people like you ." Sousuke asked confidently , a just as confident smile on his handsome face . It took Makoto a while to realise it was a compliment . Before he could awnser , Sousuke scribbbeled down his number on a scrap of paper and shoved it in the pocket of Makoto's blue cardigen .   
"Text me later so i can get your number ." Sousuke continued to talk , he stood and headed for the door when Rin came into view . it took a while but Makoto finally processed all the events and smiled widely . "Thank you Yamazaki-kun! I will be sure to!"

"Oi...I gave you my number , quit being so formal . Call me Sousuke . Ok , Makoto?  
Poor Makoto was overwhelemed again , that was rather quick but he would respect anything someone so amazing asked of him . 

"O-okay S-Sousuke!" He called out as he left and instantly started tapping Sousuke's number into his phone . 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic should really be named 'Dammit Sousuke'


	4. Chapter 4

Sousuke gave him his number .

 

 

 

 

_Sou_ _suke gave him his actual **number** ._

 

 

Makoto squealed and covered his face with his blanket . How could he not be like a blushing bride when receiving the number of a big swimmer boy like Sousuke .  
Especially , when he seemed so eager to give it away .  Makoto though , hadn't replied yet as he didn't want to seem to eager or needy or  
…. Weird …   
But he definitely wanted the help Sousuke had offered  .

 

Makoto hummed , A long and thoughtful hum as his mind became plagued with happy thoughts . 

The can of fizz , that was given to him by Sousuke , sat empty on his desk. The Can was visible by the light of his computer that he was using prior to getting into bed . 

It was 1:30 am but Makoto was not tired . Oh no , quite the contrary . He was wide awake . So awake he could go for a long run .  
He was tempted to run all the way to Samezuka accademy to thank Sousuke for being so helpful that night and act with more confidence than he had managed to earlier . 

But no , he wasn't tired . He just needed to take a moment to recover from what he could only describe as a 'fanboy moment.' A talented , superstar gave him their number . That superstar even suggested meeting up for more swimming sessions . Makoto felt both honoured and grateful . One of the top 10 butterfly swimmers in the WHOLE of the country wanted to help him out and it honestly made him feel a little giddy with excitement . 

 

However … Makoto was still far to nervous to text Sousuke .

_" How could I possibly ask to do something like that ? What if I interfered with Sousuke's training ? What if I annoyed him ?  oh no .... Or asked to much of him ?  argh!? Never mind , if I sent a text message now it would wake Sousuke up and he would **hate** me! **Forever** ! no _ _wa_ _y!"_

Makoto screamed but it was voiceless and just in his mind . So, he let out a small , verbal , but dragged out  'Uuuuuuuuuuuuuurggghnnnn' to express his distress with out bothering anyone .

He went into panic mode so wriggled his way from out of the covers he had wrapped himself in . Ren and Ran where cuddled by their beloved brothers thighs , so it made the Task more difficult than it already was .

After almost falling over , twice , he managed to sit on the carpeted floor.  
Makoto stretched out his legs to touch the tips of his toes to let out some panic but before long he returned his attention to the laptop screen In his room .  
Instead of straining his eyes to look at the computer . He reached for his thick black glasses . His desperateness to return to the computer only made it harder and more awkward to put them on so he settled with them being crooked on his face  .   
Makoto saw his reflection in the screen . His olive green hair was tussled messily over his forehead , his messy bangs where trapped awkwardly under the frame of his bulky glasses , close to poking him in the eye. However , he was beyond caring at this moment as he leaned closer to the screen . 

Before he had paused to take his 'blanket break' he had been scrolling through the Internet .  
Much to Makotos annoyance , he wasn't very good at the whole "computer … thingy? " as he would call it , so getting onto the internet browser was difficult. Although afterwards , even he could get to Google and type in . 'Yamazaki Sousuke'.

As Makoto's logic had figured :  
" considering Sousuke is one of the top swimmers … there must be something … a news article with his name … or a picture … or … Hm..."  
And he was right . The results all where different but they where all along the same lines of :

**' Results of Swimming trials '**

' **prestigious swimming school take all**  '

And  the occasional ' **young swimmers to look out for after** **tournament**  .'

Makotos full attention was taken by scrolling down page after page . Sousuke had won alot of events , mainly in butterfly but he also had several in freestyle . Makoto was thoroughly impressed . Every single story he read he became more and more awestruck .   
He leaned back in his chair , flopping his arms at his sides . Not caring about the loud squeak that erupted from the chair from the sudden shift of weight . Happily, he sighed . He moved his hand to brush back his hair and smile . Makoto could only dream of being that good at swimming .   
No .  
Infact , he dreamt of the days when he would be that good at swimming . One day he would .   
Standing beside Haru and Rin in front of thousands . He longed for it . His stomach filled with anxious nerves but it only made him giggle . He would finally be a part of what the two of them shared. Makoto was excited .   
But he stopped himself from getting to happy, (after all , he had a long way to go ) and sat up , continuing his late night search. 

Several more pages of swimming results where Sousuke placed first passed and Makoto was beginning to wonder whether be should head back to bed and get some rest . After all , it was now 3 in the morning .  
Just as he was about to press the red X in the corner of the screen,  something caught Makoto's eye .   
The exact words of the result where " **Yamazaki Sousuke - Facebook** "  
Even though Makoto was not one to use the Internet often , he was familiar with the concept of 'facebook' . Nagisa always complained that Rei hadn't liked or commented on statuses Nagisa had tagged him in. Rin constantly nagged Makoto to sign up and Makoto was used to some of the girls in Iwatobi asking him if he had an account and if they could send him friend requests . Makoto vaguely knew what statuses , tagging and friend requests where , but it was all still a bit of a blur .  
It slightly took his breath away that he was going to be able to take a sneaky peak of Sousuke's personal life without him noticing . But he also felt ashamed .   
Very very very ashamed .  
Makoto was not one to snoop .  
His stomach tied in a tight knot. He felt sick , but he couldn't control the fit of excited giggles that came as he clicked on the link .Once the page had loaded, Makoto gasped . It took a moment for him to breath as usual . His fingertips brushed against the monitor . He began stroking over a picture of Sousuke's face that resided in a box on the left side of the screen .   
"Beautiful " he whispered , staring into the alluring teal eyes on the screen .  
Sousuke was holding the camera above his head. Makoto figured that Sousuke had taken the picture led in bed, As his bangs flopped back onto the cushion. His fingers where posed in the peace sign and the right side of his mouth was raised in a confident smile ."is this what they call a selfie ?" Makoto pondered . Calmly breathing and admiring every pixel of the photo .  

He bet Sousuke was one of those cool , modern guys . Who owned smart phones and mp3 players and all the latest technology.

"What-cha looking aaaaaaaaat!?" Makoto heard from behind him as two sets of arms hugged his middle .  
"Onee-chan should be in bed … " his younger brother moaned as he nuzzled his head tiredly against Makoto's thigh .  
"who's dat" his sister questioned, hugging Makoto's neck so she could climb onto his lap and poke the attractive male on the screen repeatedly .  
"Ah…" Makoto could not even begin to explain what he was doing . "You two … don't make me tell mother and father that you two are awake at this time … didn't you want to go to the park with daddy after school ? Sure he won't let you …" Makoto whispered but felt his stomach knot again .  
_" Oh Makoto … first secretly looking at Sousuke and now manipulating your brother and sister … you Are truly awful . Sousuke has changed you ..."_  He thought to himself but Ren and Ran immediately rushed to bed and covered themselves with the blanket .   
Makoto sighed and turned back to look at the picture . He looked to his phone and sighed under his breath , he should have just texted him when he got back from the pool …

In the corner of the Facebook website , he saw the words 'sign' and 'up'. So immediately clicked . 

After making an email account he finally managed to make his account . Set his cover photo to a picture of some cats ( which was the only picture he had saved on his computer anyway ) and left his profile picture to blank … sure he could get some picture from Nagisa later on. 

Makoto hurriedly flipped back to Sousuke's facebook , a confident grin on his face as he moved the mouse to the add friend button . He went to click but …

 

The mouse just hovered.  Makoto couldn't bring himself to click it .

 

 

* * *

 

 

"Why didn't he text me ?" Sousuke grumbled from the top bunk .  
Sousuke looked to his phone , once again, groaning when the bright light blinded him . It was half 3 in the morning and Sousuke wasn't impressed . He thought he had started his friendship with Makoto really well .  
Heck, Sousuke was expecting Makoto to reply the minute he had left the doors of Iwatobi S.C.  
He had already planned several methods of how he would next smooth talk Makoto into training with him . 

Earlier in the evening , Sousuke got into his bunk and was impatiently waiting for a reply . Whilst doing so he pulled his phone from his pocket and immediately flicked up the browser , typing 'Makoto Tachibana ' as quickly as he could .  
He expected to find a twitter or an Instagram or at least some news stories on swimming websites …but there was literally nothing . As if the sweet Olive haired boy didn't even exist .   
The thought of "How can someone with such sweet eyes not have an instagram with hundreds of fans . " Briefly passed through Sousuke's mind whilst doing so .   
He found one story that had a brief mention of Makoto , but it was really recent and from the 200m freestyle . If Makoto had just responded to Sousuke's text he could already be planning on how to make Makoto his swimming star . 

Yes . That was Sousuke's intentions . 

He sighed once more and turned the music up on his headphones .  "It's worth one more try …" he spoke to himself in a gruff tone and went to Facebook . After a minute of scrolling down his news feed , seeing Rin go on a rant and Nitori in the comments agreeing with every word Rin said and the friend request tab once again had a request from 'Nagisa Hazuki' , he typed those two words one more time.  
'Tachibana Makoto '  
Defeatedly , Sousuke sighed , knowing nothing would pop up . Even so , he didn't retract his eyes from the screen , every bit of hope he had in his body made him staring looking at the screen ."Yes!?" Sousuke exclaimed and sat up , almost hitting his head on the ceiling . He had to blink several times to believe it … But it was there ! It was really there ! He immediately clicked on this 'tachibana Makoto' facebook account .  
Although , Sousuke was confused . There was no profile picture .  
" maybe this is the wrong Makoto Tachibana ? And it says the join date is today…" he thought to himself. "Oh well … it won't hurt to send a request …if it's some weird guy I can block them later …" Sousuke mumbled and clicked the add friend box .  
Afterwards , he pressed the button on the side of his phone to put it into standby . There was no way a good two shoes like Makoto would be awake at this late hour so Sousuke put the phone under his pillow in an attempt to try and get some sleep .  
With a yawn and a stretch of his arms , Sousuke closed his eyes and nuzzled the soft pillow , hoping to see a confirmed request when he woke up in the morning .

 

Just as Sousuke was starting to falling asleep , he was rudely awoken by a loud buzz under his pillow .

"I disabled notifications from that app..." he grumbled , assuming some game he rarely played when he had a spare two minutes every now and then  was trying to alert him .  
Annoyed , Sousuke hissed as he blindly rummaged around to find his phone . He glared at it with daggers in his eyes just like the time he confronted Haru . But soon , his expression softened into a small smile but his eyebrows upturned as if confused .  with one swift motion , he shifted his position so he was on his back with the phone above him . It was much easier to type and swipe the screen this way , instead of having to strain his thumb awkwardly to do everything with one hand whilst his other hand went numb as he led on it .  
He  had to look at the time . '03:45'  
In disbelief he had to read the text multiple times .

'Makoto Tachibana accepted your friend request .'

"Huuuuuuuh? "

 

* * *

 

Makoto spent a good five minutes with his finger hovering over the send request button before the request appeared .   
Makoto spent several seconds wondering if he was dreaming but he instantly accepted and went to the message bar .  
He could now confirm that Sousuke was awake , so he wouldn't hesitate to contact him  this time .  
With a grin and eagerness in his fingers , he madly dabbed out a message on the keyboard .  
He had wasted to many hours to spend time worrying about how he came across to Sousuke this time .

" _Good evening . Or should I say morning , Sousuke !_ "

" _Its me Makoto_ " he continued .

" _Um… I just want to say thank you for the evening . I'm sorry I did not text you . I thought you might of been to tired_ ."

Makoto twiddled his thumbs and watched as the screen told him Sousuke was replying . 

" _No probs. It was alot of fun . Ur good . Do it again sometime_ ?" 

Makoto's squirmed in his seat for several seconds before calming himself and quickly replying .

" _Yes please ! Whenever you can !_ " 

" _Samezuka . Sunday . 3 PM . See u then_  ." 

" _Okay ! I'll bring Nagisa and Rei and Haru !_ "  Makoto was beaming , he couldn't wait . 

" _No. Just u_ ." 

Makoto was confused by this … but he had to respect what Sousuke wanted .

" _Okay see you then !_ " 

 

* * *

 

Meanwhile , Sousuke was laughing and typing under his blanket . He had found his new swimming project .

 Sure he could sort out what he had planned by Sunday …

 

A strong foot from the bunk below kicked the bed above and shouted . "GODDAMMIT SOUSUKE IT'S 4 IN THE MORNING !? SHUT UP !" 

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

 

 

Nanase Haruka was never one to cry . 

 

Unfortunately for him , now was a moment where he just could not stop himself . 

 

He had a hard enough time understanding his feelings as it was . Let alone when he couldn't stop feeling . He couldn't stop thinking and he couldn't understand any of it in the slightest . 

 

Haruka lay with every Inch of his body completely covered with his sea blue bedsheets , curled up with his knees to his chest as he sobbed into the softness of his mattress . Attempting to envision himself being one with the water as his coping mechanism.

 It was failing.

He felt disgusting as the quilt dampened. It wasn't the type of water he liked . It was so rare for him to cry that he loathed it and found every drop that rolled down his cheek dirty and disgusting .

Nothing he could do would make him stop crying right now . Nothing could distract him at this moment .

 

The last time he had cried , Makoto had hugged him tight for hours ( even when he had stopped crying just to make sure Haru was fine ) Haru nuzzled against Makoto's collarbone . Makoto's sweet scent calmed him . His bouncy hair brushing against Haru's forehead head made Haru feel special and at home . Best of all , Makoto's strong arms wrapped around him , made him feel protected and Makoto's voice was so soft and quiet . It could send him to sleep . If anything , Haru felt better afterwards from hearing it than he did before he started crying . 

All was right with the world when Makoto was near .

 

He just wanted to be beside Makoto in moments like this . As His whole life had been with Makoto . Haru knew no other ways of feeling better . 

He couldn't imagine what life would be without Makoto .

But he could guess it would be lonely .

Incredibly lonely . 

However , this time , Haruka did not want to talk about Makoto.

This time , Makoto couldn't solve the problem .

 

**_Makoto Was the problem ._ **

 

 

 

Haru did not like change . 

Infact , Haru knew that Makoto knew , that He did not like change . He really didn't .

It made him physically Itch until he was red .  
He got angry and upset over the littlest things changing . 

He would want to just go and seclude himself for several days in the bathtub . 

It all started when his mother and father just upped and left with no warning at all .  
The breaking point for Haru was when his grandmother died.  
He had depended and clung to her and Makoto every day since his parents left , it broke his heart when his grandmother died .

Ever since he has Despised change even the very word made him shudder . 

Makoto had been in his life longer than anyone else so it made Haru feel as if he was dropped into a pit of despair and betrayal when Makoto just had to go and change things . 

Haru gritted his teeth and clenched his fists . His thoughts about Makoto couldn't stop . 

When Makoto had asked him to race him seriously . It made Haru's stomach knot slightly . It wasn't bad , but it was uncomfortable . Because it was not something normal .

However , Haru had listened and respected Makoto's request . 

How could he not ? 

Makoto had done so much , Haru had to do that little thing for him .

Even when he had given himself the evening to prepare for the change , Haru didn't even think twice about losing against Makoto .

He just expected to swim like usual , look at the board and appear somewhere in the top three , go get congratulated by a hug that almost strangeled him from Nagisa , have Rei be impressed , see Makoto smile at him warmly and then go and finish off another normal swimming race by eating a big bowl of Mackerel . 

much to Haru's discomfort , it did not go that way .

He found himself struggling half way through the race , pushing himself harder than ever before , finishing second , behind his best friend who he had never raced before , exhausting himself , getting a huge bruise on his chin , his muscles hurting for several days afterwards and being to freaked out to eat mackerel . 

 

He had not made it into school for a while and he refused to swim .  
He felt truly awful .  
He couldn't explain it as he knew he should be happy for Makoto .  
He just couldn't be happy about it .

What hurt haru more was whilst he suffered , Nagisa and Rei had never been better .

The day Rei managed to drag Haru to Iwatobi S.C , Makoto was racing Rin .

Makoto had never raced Rin or even showed any interest in racing Rin . Haru just got to fed up with the change and left the room .

Sousuke was also there … Haru wasn't exactly on good terms with him , he did not want to be in close proximity ,  let alone have Sousuke at the iwatobi swimming practice .

 

" _It's called iwatobi for a reason … no Samezuka … well…except Rin . Because Rin's always been there … that's normal …_ "  he thought .

 

Haruka needed some time with Makoto to recover from all of this . Just not in the pool . 

His breath became heavy and quick as he reached for his phone . It was 06:30 in the morning . He knew Makoto always woke up at early , so it should be ok … 

He didn't want to swim with Makoto , that would just make his uncomfortableness be too much to bare .

He just wanted to share a meal and have a conversation with Makoto . He managed to smile slightly with the thought of being opposite Makoto .  Having him smile at him .  Haru sighed in relief , he would feel better once again afterwards .

He entered the text .

 

" **Makoto . Come round . Sunday evening .** " 

 

Haru sent it immediately with no regrets and held the phone in his hands . He anticipated an instant response with Makoto , that's the way it always way . He didn't need to include question marks , he never had needed to use question marks . Whatever he asked of Makoto , Makoto always did .

 

But again,  it was different . 

 

Haru waited for a whole 50 minutes . His heart rate increased with every few minutes that passed and the uncomfortable weight in his gut began to settle again .

 

When the phone beeped with Makoto's name , he clicked but felt his heart break as he read the response .

 

"Sorry Haru-chan!  I have already have plans for Sunday evening ! " 

 

Rapidly , Haru turned off the phone and put it in the draw . 

 

What ? 

 

Makoto had plans that did not involve him ? 

Haru shivered , he couldn't control his body .

 

The only method of comfort he had at that moment was to hug his waist as tightly as he could , get back under the covers and sniffle . 

 

 

 

Today was another day with no swimming , with no school -

 

 

And definitely no Makoto.


End file.
